Toxin: The Devil Within
by Havok-2
Summary: After bonding with an alien symbiote, can Patrick Mulligan come to terms with his new super hero identity or will he just become another name in Spidey's Rogue's Gallery? Follow the Son of Carnage here, guest starring Spidey, Shocker and The Rhino!
1. Chapter 1

**Toxin: The Devil Within**

Introduction to Destruction

'Now, I should be rather content with my life. It's probably more interesting in comparison to the lives of others - especially with the whole super human thing. You would think that with my days constantly being filled with idiots, freaks and homicidal maniacs that I would have lost it by now but I haven't - I've learnt the special trick; I know how to keep it together. Meditation? No. Alcoholism? No. Depraved fetishes? No. The trick is simple, just know yourself, know what you're doing and that it's the right thing, and most importantly, know that no matter how small, you're still making a difference. Having said that there are still plenty of mornings when I just don't want to get up and do what I have to do.'

Spider-Man shot up straight as his spider-sense stung the base of his skull and rippled throughout his body. Sighing deeply he stood up on the edge of the building, crumbs scattered around where he had sat and an empty coffee cup rolling in the wind. The cup began to roll towards the edge of the mountainous building. He watched it as on the roads below, three police cars sped down the road, sirens blazing.

'Of course, I wish that other people sometimes had that feeling too.'

As the cup promptly rolled off the top of the roof and began to fall, he quickly shot a line of web, from his wrist, to stop its descent. With nothing left to delay him, Spider-Man jumped off the building to follow the same old routine.

Meanwhile at the source of the trouble, the crime in question was heating up.

"Tell me, did you ever hear about a guy named Magneto?" asked the young black assailant. Opposite to him, the shop clerk nodded his head in frustration.

"Well you see I used to roll with Magneto because I'm a mutant too, see? – And I'm dangerous too. He even got me to do a couple of assignments for him, asked for me personally."

The young man's pride shone through in his words; however the even younger man behind the cash register showed no interest in this loud, arrogant criminal. The clerk just continued leaning on the till, head in hands. The criminal's battle suit was hidden by a long black cloak but became visible as the shop door swung open, blowing a strong breeze into the store. He paid no attention and continued.

"I was on the news once or twice. But since then, Magneto's been arrested over and over again. Whereas I am still allowed to roam free. So anyway, they call me Detonator and you're about to hand over all that cash in the register before I detonate."

The clerk still remained motionless. "Sir, please buy something or leave."

Angered by the complete apathy and lack of fear, Detonator grabbed an elderly man, who was crouched on the floor with fear. With a look of pure malice, Detonator suddenly jerked the elderly man's head to one side and broke his neck. A tiny whine escaped from his lungs as the old man fell down dead. Never once taking his eyes off the clerk, Detonator repeated his earlier demand.

"Give me the money in the register."

Shaken by the heartlessness and efficiency of the assailant, the clerk fumbled as he tried to open the register. Time after time, he entered the wrong security code, angering Detonator even more. Moving towards the counter he yelled.

"Enter the damn code or I'll break your f-."

"Ricky Gibson?"

"Huh?" The young man turned with surprise for hanging upside down from a web line in the shop doorway, swung the spectacular Spider-Man.

"Is there a Ricky Gibson present?" questioned the webbed wonder, looking from person to person, not noticing the dead body on the floor.

"How do you know my name?" yelled the young black male pointing at the superhero, converting his fear into anger.

"Might I suggest, that next time you decide to rob a shop, you don't leave your driver's licence on the pavement outside." Spider-Man inquisitively looked at the situation, acknowledging the recently deceased. "I don't suppose this is all a big coincidence is it?"

Ricky smiled confidently. "I'm sorry Spider, but you're in my way." Spidey's natural reflexes kicked in, as he began to flip over the criminal as the man in question held out his hand in a fist. In mid air, Spidey was just about to shoot out a web line when he realised that Detonator had done nothing but hold out a thumbs up. Ricky turned to face Spidey as he landed in his trademark crouched stance.

"Err… aren't you missing a little thing called - a weapon?"

"No stupid," Gibson's smile widened. "I am the weapon."

Spidey had no time to act as his spider-sense clouded his brain and Detonator brought his thumb down onto his fist, imitating pushing a button. The second the thumb touched the rough skin of his index finger, Detonator emitted a blinding light from his entire being. The sickening sound of glass smashing filled the air, before the earth shattering blast of an explosion consumed the tiny corner-shop. Spidey was fired back into the accounting room as the clerk was slammed against the display behind him. As items fell down upon him, he lost the ability to breathe; Spidey already knew he had died. Smoke, dust and disintegrated food particles clouded the air making it almost impossible to breathe. Spidey was able to roll onto his front and push himself up – onto his hands and knees – to help clear his airways. He could hear screams from outside the shop but had not the energy to open his eyes.

'_There was no physical way that Gibson had survived the blast' _thought Spidey to himself. So there was no urgent need to act any time soon. 

Spider-Man crouched over on the floor, coughing and spluttering. Unable to breathe clearly for several minutes, he lifted the bottom of his mask (revealing his mouth and chin) to spit out all the dust and grit that had resided in his mask. The debris was beginning to settle on the rubble as a result of the vicious act. But just as Spidey regained his regular breathing pattern, his heart sank once more. A piercing shriek shot through the wall of smoke and his spider-sense stung his brain in the familiar fashion. He knew he was in no fit state to fight, as his red and blue costume barely clung to his bruised body and his head was still spinning from the explosion. Nonetheless the masked hero staggered to his feet, quietly cursing as he did so. Pulling his mask down to cover his full face, Spidey lifted his fists into a fighting position, wearily swaying from side to side. Through the wall of smoke he could hear a systematic drumming noise followed by the high pitched clink of disturbed rubble. As the beating got louder, a dark shadow began to assimilate in the mist, gaining more and more tangibility before stepping through the gritty cloud and into the light of the post-anarchic room. Once in full visibility, Spider-Man cursed again and slapped his head in disbelief for before him stood the hulking mass of the half man – half symbiote creature, Toxin.

As Peter Parker knew well, Toxin had all the usual qualities symbiotes have as well a few extra abilities from his predecessors. From the original host and bringing of the symbiotes to Earth, Spider-Man, he shared super-strength, heightened agility and durability and the ability to crawl on walls. From his grandfather, Venom, whose own symbiote had once bonded with Peter Parker himself, he shared his hulking body mass, his constant grin of hidden intelligence and the pure white eyes; loosely based on the eye panels in Spider-Man's mask. He also gained the ability of temporary invisibility. From his father, Carnage, he shared the ability to increase his body mass and to produce fleshy, rope like tendrils; to use as a form of attacking or as transport – for transgressing from building to building quickly as a form of swinging. His own unique abilities included being able to sense or track anyone in the entire city.

In physical appearance he would stick out from a mile away. When the symbiote was in control he covered his human host from head to toe in the colours of his predecessors. His head and torso were a sickly blood red separating from his forearms and waist by overhanging fleshy tendrils, much like the entire body of his father, Carnage. Below this, he was as black as the soot Spider-Man choked upon, the colour of his grandfather Venom.

The child-like creature flung open his arms and growled gleefully in his booming voice: "Spider-Man!" The symbiote grabbed the injured superhero and lifted him off the ground in a powerful embrace. If it were not for his super strength then Spider-Man would have clearly been crushed. Eventually the symbiote let down and Spider-Man fell to floor, recovering his breath.

"See how much stronger we've got! And we've caught more criminals in the last month then the whole New York police force put together!" The creature glared with a huge smile showcasing his set his spiky white teeth.

"That's great buddy, do you mind if I talk to Pat for a moment. There's an issue I need to clear up…"

"Oh..."

"Human to human."

"Sure. I'll wake him up…"

Before the webbed wonder could utter a reply, Toxin began shaking violently. His body physically changed in a matter of second from a monstrous appearance to a more human-like creature: the overhanging fleshy tendrils became smoother at the waist and elbows; the ever-lasting grin shut to form a mask much like Spider-Man's and Pat's human eyes could be seen through the symbiote's white patches. This was how Toxin's human host wanted the symbiote to look like when he was in control of their mind – he wanted it to look more like a costume then a creature from another world. However the symbiote's mind was not dormant and could hear everything, the alien only fell unconscious when he was told to by the human host. Former Police Officer Mulligan would also do the same whenever Toxin wanted him too, this was their agreement.

"Spider-Man?" The gentle voice of Pat Mulligan came from beneath the symbiotic mask. He looked around the room and down at his hands, noticing that he was in his symbiotic form. "What happened here? What am I doing here?"

Lifting up his mask and spitting again, the hero replied, "Maybe you should ask your symbiote buddy, Toxin, what he's doing here?"

"There is no way Toxin did this," Pat replied, certain.

"You're lucky that you're right Pat, Toxin didn't do this. It was some nutcase who could spontaneous combust on demand. But the real question is, what is Toxin doing out in the daytime? I thought he was confined to the night?"

"Toxin is more responsible then you give him credit for, it's a slow process but he is maturing. I would trust him with my life now and I'm proud of the progress he's made."

"Is that the human or symbiote talking?"

"It's all me."

"How do you know?"

"I know," growled Pat.

The two glared at each other, mask to mask, before the experienced hero eventually broke. Spider-Man looked down at the floor embarrassed; he had been too quick to judge and he had been surprised by Pat's devotion to his adopted child. In response, he held out his hand. "I'm sorry buddy; I didn't mean to accuse you of anything."

Pat shook the costumed hand with his own symbiotic one. "It's cool. That guy is still alive, by the way, he's been able to run out of my immediate tracking distance but I reckon I could pick up his scent and track him down by tonight. Do you want me to take this one? It'll keep me and Toxin out of trouble for a bit."

"Cheers, Pat. I didn't mean to be rude... but you're young and new to this game."

"I get it, but you don't have to baby-sit me."

"Few people understand the Symbiotes and I'm one of them."

"I've got this under control."

"If you lose control for even a second, you know I'll be there. I'll be ready to take you down and I won't hold back. So don't lose it, Ok? I don't want to have to hurt you."

"You'll never have to," growled Pat through gritted teeth.

"Good," said Spidey before turning and walking out through the smoke. The hiss of a web shot could faintly be heard from the other side of the mist. Toxin punched the wall in anger, breathing heavily. But his ears suddenly pricked, picking up the call of police sirens in the distance. Pat left the building through a back entrance, transforming back into full human form.

"Why doesn't he like us?" moaned the symbiote.

"He does like us," reassured Pat, in a gentle voice.

"Fine. Why doesn't he like me, Pat?"

"It's nothing personal, plus it's not you he doesn't like, it's Venom and Carnage. He's just taking precautions against your species' reputation."

Numerous people began staring at Pat as he walked down the high street, speaking to the symbiote hidden with him, oblivious to their worried or perplexed looks. He was on his way back to his apartment.

"But does he have to stereotype every symbiote that pops up, isn't that prejudice?"

"It's not prejudice," Pat corrected him. "He does know what it's like to be bonded to a symbiote, remember?"

"Fine! It's species discrimination!"

"Although I must commend your intelligence, it's just plain ignorance. Just try not to annoy him and, more importantly, just ignore him. In fact, when I'm not in control, just avoid him at all costs... unless it's an emergency or whatever."

"But we helped him and the cat lady-"

"Black Cat."

"Yeah, against Dad and Grandpa-"

"_Your_ dad and grandpa."

"As well as when he gave us that assignment to take down that Razor- guy and we did it perfectly. I never did find out how he went to the bathroom…"

Pat sighed at his partner's immature exasperations. "Let's not forget all the super villains we took down on the way to Razorfist – and all the petty crooks too."

There was a brief silence of recollection before Toxin spoke once more.

"Hey Pat… Thanks for standing up for me."

"No worries partner, Spidey is wrong about you."

Toxin sighed and repeated his question. "Why doesn't he like us?"

"Because we're stronger than him."

"Probably."


	2. Chapter 2

**Toxin: The Devil Within**

Hunting is Good for the Soul

The stars sparkled in the sky on the clear night of the hunt. As Toxin peered down from his rooftop vantage point to the small warehouse where he knew Detonator was safe-housing, something was troubling the symbiote. Together they had picked up the scent a few hours ago whilst on the streets, after being sent on the mission by Spider-Man, that very morning. Fully utilising the symbiotic enhancements, tracking the young, black assailant had been simple, but then again, that was always the easy part.

Patrick prepared himself for the assault, quiet in anticipation. He often struggled with the '_calm before the storm'_ focusing on not losing control, not giving in to the genetic history of the symbiote, not losing that final human element. Pat wanted silence but Toxin had his own demands.

"Pat?"

"What now?"

"I was just wonderin-"

"Can you not save it for later?"

"You already know what I'm going to say. You don't like it."

Pat sighed ashamedly. "Look, Toxin-"

"No way, human! You look this time. We share this body; we work as a team, okay? If you want my powers then sometimes, you have to play by my rules. So just trust me on this one."

There was a moment's silence.

"Oh God..."

"Thanks Pat, and don't worry, this one is already done."

Pat closed his eyes and allowed the symbiote to fire a tendril over to the warehouse. As they swung together, Pat enjoyed the sensation of swinging through the air motionless, no effort given with the full reward. They landed naturally on the roof and quickly headed for the nearest window, light-footed as to minimise noise and risk, they darted under the window and crept into the depot. Crawling atop the ceiling of the warehouse, Toxin looked down from the shadows protected by the glare of the lights that hung below him. Out of human range, he eavesdropped on what he believed to be a phone call. Unable to see the villain, Toxin followed the murmuring echo of his voice.

Whispering inside himself, Pat warned the symbiote. "The second things look bad, you wake me up alright? That's the deal."

"Got it," confirmed his heroic protégé.

"And keep it together Toxin, no losing control. I'm trusting you."

Releasing all control unto the symbiote, the human fell into unconsciousness. Toxin smirked happily, showcasing his impressive row of teeth. Relaxing his every muscle, Toxin fell from his safe zone, landing gracefully onto a stack of crates behind the criminal – watching his prey intently, prowling out of sight.

"No idea... What colour is that... All it says is 'Hg' on the side... Yeah, because that is common knowledge nowadays... alright, alright, 7; I'll be there."

As the young black assailant closed his phone, Toxin saw his moment and leapt in front of Detonator, standing at full symbiotic height. Towering over the cowering mutant, Toxin glared sinisterly.

"Today's your lucky day criminal; I have to be nice against my will. Come with me easily or I'll rip you to shreds in 'self defence' like I really want to, Det... Deta... Dexter."

Desperately looking around for something to aid him, Gibson asked faintly.

"Wha... what the hell are you? You're a mutant right, like me? You gotta be on my side here?"

"Err... I don't really know but I am definitely a good guy..."

"Works for me," glared Gibson secretly.

Toxin thought for a second, considering this sudden dilemma. This was all the time the mutant needed. Raising his hand, he dropped his thumb.

"What the hell happened Toxin?" The human cried as together they picked themselves up off the glass and debris ridden pavement.

"He caught me by surprise, he said some stuff about being mutants and I am a mutant in most respects," whimpered the alien, aware of the weakness of his excuse.

"You're not a bloody human mutant! You're a symbiote!"

"Calm down Pat, it's not that important. We'll just go back inside and-"

"Thank God for our healing factor-"

"It wasn't that bad. Quit your whining," injected the symbiote.

"We're working as a team now, alright? I'm goin-"

"No way! This is _my _fight. I started it and now I'm gonna end it. Take it or leave it."

There was silence for a few seconds.

"One last chance."

Pat closed his eyes and allowed the symbiote to leap back through the hole created by the explosion. Upon landing, the symbiote sprung onto the nearest wall and once again onto the ceiling. Once again hidden in the rafters, Toxin was more determined than ever to beat this guy all by himself. The game was different this time, a plan had been formed. The best part of the human; the best part of the alien; a true symbiosis.

"Dexter!"

The criminal spun around at the noise, unable to see the hero, his eyes searching the warehouse. Still panting from his first combustion, the assailant yelled back in fearful retaliation. "My name ain't Dexter, it's Detonator."

"You're still scum to me, Dexter."

"You can heal right? I get that. But you can't heal if you're nothing but dust."

"That implies that you'd actually be able to hit me, mutant!"

"So that's it, you hate me because I'm a mutant?"

"No. I hate you because you're a dick!"

Flinging himself at the villain, Toxin darted into Detonator, taking him straight to the ground. Hanging him from his wrists, Toxin held the stunned criminal and kicked him sharply in the chest. Gibson landed a few metres back and with a blood-ridden smile, combusted spontaneously.

Even before the signature bright light, Toxin was already behind a stack of crates for safety. And so followed the noise, light and sheer force. Having let the dust settle, Toxin peered out from his safe spot to see Detonator had keeled over on the floor, heavily panting. Shooting a tendril to the ceiling, Toxin took advantage of the villain facing the ground and swung towards him with a fierce kick to the ribs. Ricky blindly detonated himself once more but Toxin had already been carried to the shade, out of harm's reach. Feeling the force of his own mutant powers, the younger shakily arose. Liberated from the shadows once more, Toxin propelled himself feet first into the chest of the villain. Bouncing backwards, seized with pain, Gibson detonated himself without thought to the whereabouts of his opponent. Toxin had returned to the ceiling safely waiting for the explosive glare to pass. Rolling onto his back, the criminal cried to the hero with unwilling resignation.

"Damn you freak!"

Detonator had nothing left. He had been over using his powers, especially when using them once was still quite a strain for him. Toxin could tell that the battle was nearly over.

Shooting a black tendril to the ceiling, Toxin yanked himself towards the confused villain with a closed fist. The power of the punch knocked the criminal off of his feet as Ricky plummeted his thumb and used his powers once last time. But nevertheless, Toxin had already swung out of his range. With this, his final assault, Detonator accepted defeat and fell to the floor — consumed with fatigue and despair.

Toxin landed swiftly next to the crumpled villain.

"You did good Det, but you need more than just one trick in this business. Maybe next time you will propose more of a challenge. Prison time Dexter."

But just as the symbiote had finished his taunt, the criminal leapt from the ground and flung a rabid fist at the hero. Inevitably before the punch could even get within inches of Toxin, he flung out a fist of his own and collided harshly with the villain's face. Detonator crashed to the floor, writhing in pain.

However before Toxin could celebrate anymore, his mind buzzed as he could sense another presence in the warehouse, someone who had been eagerly watching the entire fight. Toxin followed his instincts and sought out the stranger with his eyes. They eventually fell on a shadow hiding in a corner, the shadow finally spoke up:

"Not bad, handsome." The stranger walked forwards through the shadows of the warehouse moving slowly towards the light. Toxin could tell from the seductive voice, and by the way that the shadow swayed its hips whilst walking that it was definitely female.

"You followed me here and just sat back during the fight. Why did you even bother coming?"

"With a tracking power like yours, I had to take my chance," the shadow was slowly becoming more visible as she continued towards him.

"And I must say: you did a fine job stranger. What's your name?"

"Toxin." The symbiote blurted out before the human had a chance to think, something weird was happening to the alien. Then Pat quickly took back control of the situation.

"What's your name ma'am?"

"If I can call you Toxin, then you can call me Scorpia."

She took a step into the light. Toxin lost his breath. This woman, this girl, was absolutely beautiful. She was young and fit. She wore purple lipstick and eye shadow, with dark purple hair cut to shoulder length. She wore a tight green bodysuit which tightened under her large breasts yet despite being held tightly in place, did not look in any form of discomfort. The tight bodysuit reached down and covered her abdomen, without covering her legs. Her costume was very low cut and began after her shoulders. Her green leather leotard had short sleeves that stopped at her elbows before being accompanied by a pair of purple gloves over her forearms, linked around her thumbs exposing her dainty hands. Her final piece of clothing was her knee length green boots and a purple chocker around her neck.

Toxin was breathless, Pat was sweating. Man and symbiote caught together, off guard, in the same emotion. Pat quickly recovered but Toxin, inexperienced in this matter, did not. Pat smiled under the symbiote mask, he knew this feeling and remembered it well but it surprised him that this alien could be experiencing anything slightly close to it, but then again, Toxin had been maturing rapidly. It was time for a reward.

"That's a nice outfit young lady, but aren't you a little cold?"

"I don't get dressed up like this every day Mr Toxin; you should be honoured to be in this situation." Seductively she ran her from the darker green material holding her breasts over the thinner cloth covering her stomach before stopping at the similarly tougher, darker material protecting her groin.

Pat swallowed deeply.

"So why are you here exactly? Is he a friend?"

She smiled from ear to ear. "HA! He wishes. This piece of trash stole something very precious to me but then he sold before I could find him. So I thought he deserved a little bit of punishment but it looks like you beat me to him. Probably better for him this way."

Scorpia was even prettier when she was smiling; Pat rubbed the wedding ring on his finger, underneath the living costume. Toxin was neither talking nor even thinking.

"Well I – I'm glad I could be of service. You could have just called the police you know."

She took more steps towards him, swaying her curvy hips; Pat's heart began to beat even faster. She grabbed his head with one exposed hand.

"You can't thank a policeman the way I want to."

She moved in so close that their chests touched together; became but one. He could sense that her heart was beating as fast as his. Toxin was beginning shake from his core but Pat managed to hold him still. Gently, as their breathing drew closer to each other. Toxin, acting on instinct only, withdrew from Pat's mouth, exposing his lips and chin. Slowly they moved closer together ready to become one by intimate passion.

Until.

A stinging pain stung Toxin in the back of his head as he spun around to Detonator crawling with one arm, gun in the opposite hand. Scorpia also turned around and gasped in shock.

"Screw you freak… I… ain't going to prison… I'll do what I must…"

As Toxin braced himself to safely take the bullet, he barely saw a flash beside him which whipped Detonator in the face, instantly knocking him out. Almost speechless with shock, the human looked across to see his female friend standing primed after the attack with a huge green metallic tail emerging from a highly complicated contraption build into the back of her costume.

"Wow," Pat barely managed to exclaim. "I guess that's why you're called Scorpia."

Uncharacteristically, she blushed vividly and shyly muttered, "You can call me El if you want; it's not my real name but it's less formal than Scorpia."

Pat's exposed mouth smiled, "It's nice to meet you El."

He held out her hand which she shook politely. Whilst she fidgeted wildly and looked at the floor, Pat decided to continue.

"That's quite some power you have in that tail of yours, how did you come by it?"

Briefly looking up from floor she said, "It was given to Scorpia as payment to do this mission by a creepy old man called Silvermane. I just got dragged along but I don't mind because I kinda like Scorpia, we work well together."

Pat was utterly bemused. "So you and Scorpia work together? Are you friends?"

"When we were in the hospital, she was the only friend I had."

Suddenly a grim smile shot onto her face and looked straight into the white eyes of Toxin's mask.

"Gotta go sweet-cheeks, pillaging and robbery to look forward to. Be a sweetie, and take care of Detonator for me please."

Scorpia turned and ran faster than Pat could react, undoubtedly to a hidden exit and the bleakness of the night. All he could do was admire the sway of her tail and her hips beside his silent symbiotic partner.

"She is mental!"

"She is not mental, Tox."

"She thinks that she is two different people in the same body, how is that not mental?" questioned the symbiote.

"Look in the mirror," answered his human host.

"Oh yeah…"

"It's called schizophrenia and it's a mental condition... or an illness."

"So she has a condition that makes her mental?"

"You're not even trying..."

The symbiote fell silently as he and the host sat watching the police arrest the unconscious Detonator from the vantage point they previously occupied. Together they sat dolefully reflecting on the nights proceedings.

"She sure was pretty though."

"I'll drink to that."


	3. Chapter 3

**Toxin: The Devil Within**

Purple and Yellow Aren't Great Colours

The Rhino sighed. Life was not always great for a man standing at six foot nine inches and weighing close to a quarter of a metric tonne, especially when he geared up in his full body Rhino protective hide and seconds away from raiding a very lavish jewellery shop. Rhino had been a part of the super villain game since the beginning, fighting such titans as Spider-Man, the Incredible Hulk and loud-mouth mercenary Deadpool. With super strength, super speed and being practically invulnerable, the Rhino was always quite a hard villain to beat physically, but not mentally. He knew this, but it is not what annoyed him the most; what did annoy him the most were the situations like the one he was currently in: when a cocky yet idiotic amateur superhero gets in the way of a big heist with his own brand of 'superhuman justice'. Enter, Zapper.

"Stop villain!" The physically unimpressive man stepped out in front of the grey mass, holding up a single hand in defiance.

"Kid, what are ya doin'?" asked the Rhino desperately.

The bizarre attempt at heroics looked positively creative in front of the giant grey hide of the professional villain. The horn atop the animalistic head was deadly when used effectively whilst Zapper stood with a heart of gold; in his tightly worn, dark purple shirt and trousers, with yellow boots and a yellow mask covering the top of his face, from which emerged two large spikes of the same colour. As well as a yellow lightning bolt insignia on his chest, he had one big piece of material – cut into a triangle – sewn onto his costume reaching from his wrists to his elbows and from his ankles to his knees. He left his hands and mouth exposed.

"I'm Zapper and I am here to stop you from your life of crime and to put an end to your reign of terror!"

Rhino sighed once more and continued walking forward. However Zapper jumped back and fired a bolt of energy from a contraption mounted on his arm. The bolt hit the Rhino square in the chest but it did not heed his progress at all; in fact, he barely even felt the blast.

"Look Kid," the Rhino advised compassionately, "First of all, Zapper is a stupid name unless of course you manage to make it big; second, purple and yellow are not great colours; and third, ya in way over ya head, I'm the Rhino – I'm one of the big guns, few people are stronger than me, okay? So unless ya got nothing short of the Hulk with ya, ya petty lightning blasts ain't gonna stop me."

"They're not lightning blasts! They're highly conden-"

"Don't even bother trying to explain! I won't understand and by tomorrow I woulda forgot. Now outta the way."

"Taste this Rhino!" Zapper yelled as he put both of his wrists together and fired a double shot.

Rhino sighed unmoving.

"Have you met my friend, The Shocker? He would be really pissed if he could see ya now."

Zapper stopped to think to himself, _'If my blasts cannot defeat him then I must use my advanced fighting skills!' _He suddenly darted at the Rhino.

_'Please God no,' _thought the super villain but before he could warn the headstrong amateur, the latter jumped into a flying side kick. The Rhino grabbed a hold of Zapper's foot and dangled him upside down.

The crowded shopping centre they both stood on was two stories tall. The shops were presented in an L-shape with the layered car park completing the square. Only metres from the jewellery shop, the pair stood on a walkway between the car park and the shop. Large areas of the walkways had been left open to the ground level in order for the future construction of more stair wells connecting the two platforms to deal with the bustling day-to-day crowds. For now they were surrounded by railings.

The Rhino noticed this, thought for a second and chucked the amateur towards the nearest construction site – much the astonishment of the gasping on-looking shoppers. Zapper closed his eyes as he flew through the air. He heard a slight hiss and felt the resistance of landing on a sticky, but bouncy, surface. Dazed he opened his eyes to find himself laid on a huge, white spider web which stretched across the entire gap.

Stuck to the wall of glass that was the face of the sports shop next door, was the web-slinging wonder himself, Spider-Man starring down at this curious scene in broad daylight. The Rhino sighed his biggest and last sigh; he looked up as the hero addressed him.

"Hey Rhino, is that a horn on your head or are you just happy to see me?" mocked the hero.

"Give it a rest, Webhead. I've had enough for today."

"Aww, Rhiny no want to play with me?"

Rhino shook his head in dismay and turned around to walk away. Spider-Man looked glumly at him.

"Come back here Rhino, we got some talking to do!"

Without looking around, Rhino replied, "Leave it Spider, I'm losing the will to live!"

Spidey paused for a second. "Hey Rhino."

The villain stopped. "What?"

"If you stood still for ten minutes, would you get parking tickets?"

As the villain began to stroll away once more, the hero leapt from his vertical vantage point. He fired a shot of impact webbing, hitting the Rhino's aloft foot before it hit the ground once more and became firmly stuck. Following that he shot a web line to a lamp post and swung towards the animalistic villain who had stopped in vain. As he sped towards the criminal, ready to land on his back and improvise from there, his spider-sense rang through his mind. The professional realised his amateur mistake as he was inches from the hide. Faster than the human eye, the Rhino swung around his great hand and with a backhand slap, he caught Spider-Man hard in the ribs, sending the hero flying back in recoil. Much faster than he had come towards the enemy. Yelling in distress, Spider-Man flew straight through an opening where a stairway had been started and landed heavily on the cold tarmac of the dark ground-floor car park.

As he lay, eyes closed in pain; he could hear the deep thud of the heavy footsteps running away, freed from his momentary trap. Forcing himself to sit up, Spider-Man lifted up his mask, spat out his mouthful of blood, cursed and opened his eyes. Trying to consolidate his thoughts, he sat for a brief moment in complete silence. Before the silence was broken by a friendly but unwanted voice, he really was not in the mood for this.

"Hey Spider!" The hero pulled his mask back over his chin and looked across to see sitting on a structural pillar; suspended two metres from the ground; sticking with his back and feet to the side; a cup of coffee in one hand and a friendly wave in the other; former police officer and now symbiotic superhero, Patrick Mulligan.

"Looking good," muttered Mulligan sarcastically, taking a sip from his cup.

"What are you doing here Pat?"

"Just grabbing a cup of coffee; thought I'd come say hi."

"Did you see what happened?" asked the elder embarrassed.

"Not really, I was just coming out of the shop over there when I saw you land; not one of your best moments," Pat said innocently. "I took down Detonator by the way; old Dexter isn't going anywhere anytime soon."

Rolling back onto his shoulders and hands, Spidey flipped forwards, springing to his feet.

"Good work there Pat, you're building up quite a rogue's gallery now aren't you?"

Yeah, but this time Toxin did it all by himself."

"Is he listening right now?"

"Nah, he's asleep – I told him I was sorting out the accounts for our apartment. It gives me a chance to breathe by myself."

"Missing the good old days by yourself?"

"Not as much as I used to, but I am starting to get some new problems, which I would kind of like to talk to you about. Do you have a minute?"

"Shoot."

Pat flipped down to the ground and the pair walked over to a nearby bench.

"As I was taking down Detonator, I met this woman… This woman who showed an obvious interest in me but I was Toxin then. But I also have my wife who bore my first child. Now I know I should be jumping with joy here Spidey but," Pat said solemnly, "If other women can love the symbiote and who I am – now; then does the other who hates the symbiote and loves the man who I used to be, really love me after all? I just don't know which direction to travel in at the moment, do I continue with the woman who can never truly accept me or move on to the women who can handle this power? What do I do?"

Spider-Man sat in silence, first remembering his tragic love Gwen Stacey then Mary Jane before eventually his dear Aunt May. However, he knew that now was not the time for an emotional flash-back, becoming the emotionless mask once more, Spider-man joked:

"You should be so lucky."

This made Pat chuckle as Spidey relaxed back into the chair, folded his legs and began his life lesson for the younger superhero.

"Well. Over the years, I've met girls who love the man but hate the Spider; love the Spider but hate the man; hate the Spider – hate the man... you get the picture. But I haven't given up hope."

"Why not?"

"Because she's out there somewhere, the girl that will love both the spider and the man and then I will get the family I've always dreamt of. I'll find her one day."

"I hope it's sometime soon," Pat said sincerely as he thought of his own baby son, Edward.

"But that which does not kill us only makes us stronger," Spider-Man remarked in a more upbeat tone.

At that point, a young lady in a white cloak, carrying two bags of heavy shopping in each hand, stopped to observe the curious scene. In response Spidey lifted a thumbs-up and replied:

"Lunch break."

With that the young woman let a small smile creep across her beautiful face and continued with her expensive hobby.

"Back to your problem here. All of us go through changes in our lives, difficult changes that serve no other purpose than to challenge us and make us stronger. This is how we become better people. Whether these challenges come in the form of being accidentally bitten by a radioactive spider or by accidentally turning yourself into a lizard through an experiment to re-grow a lost limb (don't ask) is completely irrelevant when compared to the place where we end up. If someone cannot love you for all the challenges you have faced and changes you have gone through, that's neither their fault nor your own. Maybe it is a challenge for her to adjust or more likely a challenge for both of you to move on and follow separate paths. But all I know is, if someone loves you for the shadow of what you were and not for the shining beacon of what you are today, then they don't love you one single bit."

The hero patted the promising leaner on the shoulder as he got to his feet and was thanked by the student.

"Well, I'm going after Rhino so I guess I'll see you around later." Spidey shot a web line.

"Wait!" Pat cried. "Do you have any more assignments for us?"

Spidey thought for a second, dangling upside down from his web line. "Nope. So enjoy this spare time whilst you have it. Adios amigos!"

With that, he swung away.

Pat got to his feet and thought about this for a second, hand on hips. He suddenly became aware of someone loudly struggling behind him. He turned around and looked up to see a bizarrely clothed man stuck in a giant spider web. After desperately trying to release himself from the sticky web, he eventually managed to break free and stand up on the web. Unfortunately he then lost his footing and fell through a gap in the web, landing heavily on the ground. Pat waited for the reassuring pain exclamations that let him know that the oddly dressed man was at least still in one piece. Pat turned to leave the shopping centre pondering the amateur's questionable fashion sense.


	4. Chapter 4

**Toxin: The Devil Within**

A Talking Puddle

Pat sat quietly in his apartment, reading a book in peace. As much as he enjoyed the silence, his body-sharing partner did not. The alien could not hold his symbiotic tongue for long.

"Come on already, let's go play!"

"Not yet," answered Pat gently, "I'm reading."

"You're very lazy for an ex-cop! I'm bored!"

"You should read this Tox, it's very interesting. It's about a sorcerer, who brings all the people who have wronged him to his secret island, during a massive storm."

"I don't see the point."

Pat continued unaffected. "He also has two monsters as slave, one who is willing to serve him and reaps the rewards and another who is unwilling and gets nothing but punishment. But in the end, he forgives all the bad and allows his daughter to marry the king's son."

"Sounds silly."

"You're not supposed to take it literally – it's meant to make you think."

"Still sounds stupid to me-"

"The moral vacuum?"

Toxin ignored him. "Well, if you had all the evil people in the world in front of you, would you forgive them all?"

"I would like to think that I would uphold justice and do the right thing."

"Oh you are such a stereotype!"

"And you are such a whiny child."

"Touché Patrick."

The room fell into silence once more as Pat returned to reading but after only a few moments, he closed the book and tossed it aside.

"Alright," he said, admitting defeat. "I'm bored, let's head out."

Meanwhile, the alarm rang vehemently as the criminal left the abandoned shop and ran out into the freedom of the night. Sweat ran down his shaking face beneath his tight blue mask. The mask covered his entire head with square eye holes and no other outlets; it was stuffy beneath the mask. His tight blue gloves held a suitcase that glinted in the streetlights as he continued to run. Sharply turning, the criminal descended down a dank side road and into the labyrinth of darkened alleyways. A smile appeared on his face – he was free.

Elsewhere, the super villain stepped out from the flames. He looked around unscathed at the burning building before changing his gaze to down at the suitcase he held firmly. He smiled to himself, his padded costume kept him nicely insulated from the heat. Dusting off his brown waistcoat, the Shocker cracked his neck and turned his attention to the doorway of the burning building. On both arms, running from palm to elbow, he had two contraptions mounted and smirking beneath his yellow mask, he raised his free hand and tightened his fist. Charging vehemently, the contraption began to glow before releasing a powerful sonic blast. Within seconds the doorway shattered and the rest of the building began to crumble. Turning out into the night air, the villain laughed victoriously to himself and brought his phone out of his pocket. Dialing a number, he spoke instantly to the receiver:

"The job is done… I have the suitcase and the building is coming down... No, no evidence at all. Trust me; I know how to do these things… Alright, I'll be there."

Meanwhile, Toxin hung upside down off of a ledge, high above the city streets, instinctively waiting to sense danger. In full symbiotic glory, the hero was hidden from the darkened city. He was no longer an amateur, people did not see him unless he wished to be seen and that time was not now. As thick clouds covered the moonlight, the rooftops were plunged into pure darkness. Toxin still hung completely still, senses on full alert as the clouds moved from the moon's projection and upon seeing the silver mirroring rooftops, the symbiote got his wish.

The Knight of the Dark observed the view as he heard the obstructive noise of a building collapsing as the heavy scent of fire. Silently agreeing with each other, the hero turned and began to make his way towards the crime scene with nothing but justice in mind. Dropping down onto a lower rooftop, he was only a few steps into his run as they heard the unforgettable shriek of a female screaming for help. There was only one problem for the young hero: the scream came from the direction behind them, the opposite way to the burning, collapsed building. This was a new problem.

"Err Pat, what do we do now?" worried the symbiote aloud.

"Be quiet a sec I'm thinking."

"Could you perhaps think quicker?"

"Shut up Toxin."

"Any time soon-"

"Shut it!"

Moments passed and the alien could do nothing but wait. Eventually the human reached his conclusion.

"We need to be in two places at once."

"We can't do that Pat."

"Yes _we_ can." No response. "We need to separate." Still no response. "We can do this Tox believe me. It's the only way to save these people."

"Are you sure?"

"Trust me on this, okay?"

"Let's do it!"

With a ferocious growl, Pat tensed all of his muscles and expelled the symbiote with all the power he could muster. Toxin, equally, tearing himself from the human corpse he was so well accustomed to. Tendrils still linked the pair as Toxin began to form a second being and with one last great push, Pat fell to the floor from of his alien child. He looked up at the blurry humanoid shape with a bizarre feeling of admiration. Pat rose to his feet shakily, having not expected the separation to be such a physical strain.

"Tox," he asked swaying slightly. "You good?"

"Oh I'm fine," replied the symbiote, equally unstable. "Your human body was just holding me back anyway."

"Now you promise me this, if you run into any of the big leagues – you will not engage them in any way, got it? You watch them and follow them unseen okay? I will eventually track you down. We don't want someone like that getting away because of us."

Pat smiled to himself and turned to run. After only a few paces, he heard a large crash and stopped. From behind himself, he could faintly hear:

"I'm fine! I'm fine! Legs just need to be a little stronger than they first appear."

Pat chuckled to himself and began to clamber down a nearby fire escape. Upon reaching the ground, the former police officer darted towards the origin of the scram, brazen heroics burning in his eyes. Winding his way through the alleys, Pat was eventually brought to the villain and proudly stood before him. His senses still slightly heightened from all of the time he had spent bonded. Pat quickly observed the blue masked criminal: he was of regular build with n obvious superpowers, a good sign. Fully prepared, Pat issued his warning.

"Hey buddy, why don't you just put the bag down and we can take it back nice and easy? That sound good to you."

The criminal stood unwavering before suddenly drabbing a nearby dustbin lid and launching it at Pat. He tried in desperation to dodge it but, surprised by his lack of agility without the symbiote, was caught in the head by the disc. Pat landed ungracefully; his head was bleeding to match his rise in anger.

"Listen Blue, you don't want to do this without thin-"

Removing a small blade from a sheath on his leg, the blue masked man threw the projectile at Pat before the former officer could even register his movement. Still dizzy from the head wound, Pat screamed in agony as the blade easily pierced his shoulder. Clutching his wound, Pat crumbled to the floor, allowing the perpetrator to easily dart past him and escape untouched into the night air.

Elsewhere, Toxin descended into the alleyway directly ahead of the Shocker. Passing over the rooftops had served as good practise for working on his own but he was by no means an expert on it. Shocker was immediately taken back by the sight of the free symbiote.

"Venom?"

"No, we are... I am Toxin!"

"Symbiote eh? So are you gonna bond me with?"

"What? No! I'm here to stop you criminal!"

"A symbiote working solo to fight crime, the guys in Ryker's are gonna love this," the super villain chuckled.

"Hey, be serious! I'm here to arrest you for your crimes against this city!"

"Are you kidding me? A talking puddle is gonna arrest me?"

"Says you, cushion man! I'm hardly scared of you insulating me to death!"

"Listen... Poison or whoever you are, I'm called the Shocker for a reason."

"What, because of your terrible costume?"

Shocker chuckled once more. "No kid, because I'm a real professional at this and you amateurs don't stand a chance!"

Much faster than before, Shocker unleashed a sonic beam instantly connecting with Toxin. The dust flew as Toxin was rippled with searing pain. Every single one of his molecules screamed as soon he became nothing more than a convulsing formless puddle. Shocker yelled a snappy one liner which Toxin could hear as he made his speedy escape. Once the pain had died down, Toxin screeched into the night air, tendrils flawing wildly.

Further into the depths of the city, Pat leant against a wall desperately clutching his shoulder which he begun to bleed viciously. Burning with pain Pat cried into the night for his symbiotic saviour. Shakily he ran through the alleyways, slamming against walls in disorientation, he was following the scent of Toxin. Pat could still feel him, but it was faint, too faint to be done on the ground, he had to get to higher ground. Eventually finding a safety ladder leading to the top of a building, he began the slow climb keeping his bloody arm against his chest. Sluggishly and agonizingly, the climb took a lot longer than he had expected but he managed to crawl onto the rooftop. Under forced excruciating pain, he yelled the name of his saviour to the sky; to his surprise it was not religious:

"Toxin!"

The shapeless puddle moved through the night searching for its host with Neanderthal intelligence. Its heightened senses made it easy for it to find what it truly wanted. The puddle climbed effortlessly up buildings fully reaping the benefits of being formless like water. After bounding from rooftop to rooftop, it knew where its host was and to the human's delight, he could now see it. Happiness suppressed all feelings of pain as the symbiote shot at the human knocking him on to his back. Pat let go of his shoulder as a new feeling wrecked his body: he could feel the pain of Toxin. As the liquid seeped into their body, the being squirmed in pain with each separate entity feeling a pain they could not even begin to perceive. Pat now suffered the ache of having every single atom in his body sear with agony and Toxin felt the stab of having solid flesh and muscle ripped apart seamlessly. After much hyperventilating and screaming, the two worked together to bring themselves to a sitting position.

"That was new huh?"

"Oh that sucked... so much."

"I've never been in so much pain before"

The pair fell silent, unable to speak for neither of them knew what to say and although he regretted it, Pat was the first to say what lay deep inside his mind.

"Toxin, I just wanted to say thank you, for coming back to me. You had the chance of go and find another host, but you didn't. You came to me when I really needed you. It means a lot to me."

"Yeah, well, single life wasn't all I expected it to be. And I guess, you had the chance to run away as well but you didn't. Instead you came here because you knew I would find it easier to find you."

"I can't go leaving my partner behind."

The pair sat in deep together relishing in their relationship. Toxin was still not fully matured but he could understand that a connection was forming between the two of them. Pat had always been so adverse to the symbiote being bonded with him but now, they had finally found acceptance. And it felt good.

"You know that I would have tracked you down eventually, if you had run away."

"Oh yeah, I knew that."

Eventually the hero rose to his feet still aching from the dual combination of raw pain, they had never before experienced. The night was still young and had they felt stronger then crime fighting would have ensued but both the hero and the human knew that they were far too tired to perform. However, regardless of his energy level, he could not have sense the presence behind him, watching them from a safe distance on the rooftop. The moon glinted off of his glasses, his white teeth brightly snarled in the darkness. He watched the symbiote before deciding that this was his moment to act.


	5. Chapter 5

**Toxin: The Devil Within**

Hero Identity

"Hurt. Didn't it?"

The symbiotic creature turned around in shock and surprise. The voice had come from a man standing behind him, which Toxin had not sensed despite his ability to track anyone in the city. The figure, hidden in his large coat and hat, held a small object in his left hand. Toxin felt like he knew this man but his face was hidden by his low hat and large glasses, reflecting the moonlight.

Seeing as he had never been snuck up on before, Pat instantly took control. "Who are you?"

The man lifted his head slightly and chuckled with pleasure.

Pat felt a bizarre tingle ripple throughout his body; Toxin was having some sort of strong emotions towards this figure – Pat could feel them – but Toxin was refusing to speak. Pat soon began to feel his partner's emotions as if they were his own. Feelings of confusion, hate and extreme eagerness. Toxin knew who it was.

"Toxin?" Pat asked. "Toxin, who is that?"

"Grandpa…" Toxin slowly muttered through gritted teeth.

The man began to laugh much louder than before and whipped off his hat and glasses. Pat could not contain his surprise, as he instantly yelled:

"Eddie Brock!"

"Well, well, well Patrick. It's good to see you again." A smile beamed across his withered face.

Pat closely eyed the item in Brock's left hand, Eddie noticed this and raised the item up above his head to be seen in the moonlight – it was a small black book with a silver cross on the front cover. "Remember one of these?"

Pat also noticed the silver cross he wore around his neck, reflecting the moonlight even more.

"What do you want, Preacher?"

Brock chuckled to himself once more. "I haven't come here to preach Toxin; I've come here to help." He looked around the rooftop. "Do you mind if we go somewhere more comfortable?"

"Here is fine," the younger host replied through gritted teeth, instinctively denying the ex-convict his simple request.

Brock relaxed and shifted his weight from one leg to the other. "Such anger. Determination. Forceful will. You are shaping up into a true symbiote. Toxin has found himself a most suitable host. Trust me, I know these things."

"Fine," Pat declared, looking down to a diner across the road. "There will do. Toxin, take a back seat but stay alert."

"Got it." The symbiote withdrew from the surface into the human form of former police officer, Patrick Mulligan. "Just one small thing, how come you changed your mind when he said that you were becoming a true symbiote?"

"Shut up Toxin."

"Pat? Pat?" The symbiote accepted defeat. "This sucks!"

The pair sat down in the diner, Eddie removed his hat, coat and glasses whilst Pat removed his own jacket. Eddie addressed them individually:

"Toxin, Patrick, I see that you are both healthy."

Both the human and the symbiote were sceptical at his sudden appearance. Pat cut straight to the chase.

"What do you want, Venom?"

"Please Patrick, keep your voice down and refer to me as Eddie. It would be beneficial for the both of us!"

"What do you want?" Pat repeated much quieter than before.

Eddie picked a menu from its holder and began to read it. "I want to talk to my grandson."

Pat leant forwards over the table and Toxin whispered, "You'll speak to the both of us." He relaxed and leant back as both sensed the waitress approaching.

"Welcome to the Nove Suite. What'll it be, Hun'?"

Eddie smiled, "Two coffees please." On a second thought, he took a look over at Pat and added. "Make his extra strong."

"Coming right up," she said and walked off.

There was an awkward silence between the pair as Eddie returned the menu to its holder. After the waitress had brought the drinks, Eddie thanked her and finally muttered quietly to his symbiote and host companions.

"Congratulations on naming your child. I thought you made an excellent choice."

"I don't have time for this Brock, what do you really want?"

"Hurt, didn't it"

"Hmmm?" Pat looked up from his drink.

The practised host glared a smile not unlike his symbiotic other's trademark and took a sip from his coffee.

"Your pathetic attempt at separation – hurt, didn't it?"

Pat looked quizzically at Brock.

"How do you know that?"

"Do you honestly think that I would just let the One Thousandth Symbiote slip out of my hands? So despite betraying me to side with my greatest energy, I still have to make sure that you still pass on the traditions and heritage of our -"

"How, Eddie?"

"As you may know, I have recently undergone a transformation – I have been reborn as a new hero. Why I have been forgiven, I do not know but thanks to my faith I have been able to quell my inner demons and now think with a straight mind. All my past crimes were committed by a different person - different to whom I am now. I won't lie to you though; sometimes I crave the power, the attention and the thrill... the rush. I imagine my hands around the neck of a bloodied corpse, wearing that pathetic red and black mask. Cutting out his tongue to stop his foolhardy mockery and sarcastic quips, to feel the satisfaction as he takes his final breath. And would you like to know a secret? The power is still within me, hidden away from the surface. But if I concentrate hard enough I can reach the little bit of the symbiote it left inside me, in my soul and in my head. But do I dare use this power? No, of course I don't. I am a hero now; I am what I have always wanted to be."

He leant over the table to whisper and Pat followed suit.

"I can feel your every move; I can sense your presence wherever you go! Every meeting you've had with your little 'allies'. I even know about the atrocious job you made with Shocker earlier, Toxin. I know everything!" Pat shot back from the table.

"The Shocker…? Toxin!"

"Yeah… there's something I have to tell you about. Things didn't go according to plan..." replied the symbiote woefully.

Eddie stood up and began to ready his coat. Having prepared himself, he gently muttered. "I thought you could be trusted Pat, I thought you were the one who wore the trousers – hell, it was the only hope you had for the chance of being a hero. I'll find you again, later in your development, when you're a bit more mature –"

"Sit down Brock!" Pat growled, darting to his feet faster than Eddie had expected.

Slightly dazzled, but nevertheless proud, of his grandson's speed, Eddie returned to his seat with his coat in his hands.

Pat slowly sat down again, saying under his breath, "Toxin, we'll talk about this later -"

"Promise me you won't get mad?" whimpered the symbiote.

"We'll see."

"Actually," Eddie interrupted. "I will need to speak to Toxin later about this matter."

"You'll speak to the both of us; now!" Toxin repeated.

"Very well," Eddie agreed peacefully. "Before we start, do you have any questions to ask, anything you want to know about life as a symbiote?"

"There is one thing," Pat answered honestly. "If you've been following me for the past couple of months or whatever, how come I couldn't sense you, like you could me?"

Eddie chuckled. "Symbiotes are a paranoid race, it was a defence mechanism created by your father. In the same way that I do not alert Spider-Man's spider-sense; the Venom symbiote, whilst with Spider-Man, analysed his spider-sense and worked on a defence protocol in case the spider ever turned on him, which he then did, the sense would no longer be able to pick up Venom. I guess Carnage must have taken away your ability to not only sense him but also myself. A move which is surprising coming from a fool like my son; almost commendable." He took his final sip of coffee. "Content?"

Pat also finished his beverage and leaned in forwards, as Toxin whispered:

"Why did you track us down?"

"I don't know if you've noticed yet but you and I are very similar beings, far more similar than you and your father. You have strong morals, a sense of justice and strong feelings of sympathy and – more importantly – love. But whereas Carnage has admitted himself to insanity and an urge to follow his murderous hedonism, you show the passion to help others yet refuse to call upon yourself as a hero. That interests me."

"You know nothing about me! There are times when… I start to lose control. When I can no longer hold in my own urges, because Toxin knows these things inside me and he has the power to give me what I want," Pat slumped forwards with depression and shame.

Eddie leaned in closer to whisper.

"You are a hero; a protector of the innocent; and I want you to continue and never stop. Your personal life will shatter; love will become a hill than you can never climb; a hill that has already claimed my dark soul. I gave up being two separate beings a long time ago. Just being consumed with taking revenge on Spider-Man was easy to control, but my when my wife, Ann… when she decided to take her own life… For something which was my fault… It became too much!"

The grown man fell silent, gripped by the melancholy nature of his own story. Pat felt nothing but sorrow for the man who was bearing his soul, and admitting the downfalls of his life.

"I was stuck in real desperation and when I discovered that I had cancer I threw off the shackles of evil, but the Spider brought it back to me, to act as a cure (which it did). And that's where I made my decision. I sold the symbiote at an auction and gave all the proceeds to charity, I even rediscovered religion. At the time, I thought that the power completed me but now I see that I was a fool to even mess with the symbiotes. I'm not a hero or even a man anymore, but I swear that I will carry on trying to change that! Don't make the same mistake I did. Keep a hold of your wife and child; if not, then at least that super powered fancy of yours…

"I know that we will meet again in the future, whether it is in combat or as allies, neither of us can tell. Never lose control Pat. Good-bye my Grandson."

With that, Edward Brock grabbed his coat and hat and left the diner gracefully. Pat sat still, stunned by the former host, unable to move. A couple of minutes passed before either man or symbiote could speak, but eventually Toxin broke the silence.

"That was a good exit."

The waitress approached the table. "That'll $8.50 Hun'."

"What?" Pat looked up in shock. He sighed and took the money out of his wallet.

"Damn you Brock, you cheap bastard!" Pat muttered under his breath. After the waitress had left the table, Toxin exclaimed to his host:

"You shouldn't swear you know."

"Shut up!"

Patrick Mulligan walked back to his apartment bemused by the interaction he had just experienced with his predecessor. Thinking over and over again, the wise words his elder had given him, keeping them fresh in his mind. Not dismissing the possibility of maybe writing it down. His alien partner on the other hand had more pressing issues to be dealt with:

"I know how you feel about the split earlier Pat, I know how much you wanted it to work. So did you enjoy it: leaving me?"

"Toxin, please, you're being nothing but paranoid. Stop acting like a child. You know my point of view anyway; we share the same body for God's sake."

Toxin stopped for a second. "You thought it was a bad idea, didn't you?"

"Yes, yes I did."

"Then why did you put us in danger like that?"

"Because we had to save those people, regardless of our safety."

Toxin stopped again. "It turns out that my problem was caused by The Shocker."

"I figured, Tox. You know the rules damn it: if it's any of the big league guys, you wake me up immediately, or in the earlier case, come and find me. Not that we'll ever be doing that again."

"I know," answered the symbiote shamefully. "I just thought that it was my time to shine."

"It's okay buddy, I didn't fair too well on my own either – we should really just stick to working as a team."

"Deal," agreed the symbiote.

The pair enjoyed their newfound level of mutual understanding and respect, with the human finding himself surprised at this occurrence. However, just as Pat approached the front door of his apartment, he realised that he could hear the sound of someone pacing inside. Cautiously, letting Toxin cover his fists and creep beneath his clothes, he entered the hallway on full alert. As silently as possible, he peered around a corner to see the back of a slender figure standing beside his kitchen table.

As slyly as he could manage, he slowly crept closer before launching himself and grabbing the intruder from behind. Placing a hand over their mouth, he looked over to his surprise that the intruder was a woman. He was even more surprised when he let go of her and she turned around to reveal the beautiful face of his wife.

"Hello Pat," said Gina calmly.

"Gina, what are you doing here?" Pat asked his voice full of shock yet mixed with curiosity and regret.

"I saw you on TV earlier, on the news," her voice also full of regret. "Flying around in your costume, saving lives, it was inspiring Pat, it really was. I even showed Eddie the TV screen so he could see a hero saving the day. I haven't said anything about you whenever I'm around him; they say babies can remember stuff like that. But you see, I wanted him to remember having a father. It's been lonely without you Pat. For Eddie's sake as well as mine, I want you to come back and live with us."

It was at this point that Gina looked at her most beautiful but it was at this point that Patrick was at his innermost sorry.

"I didn't think that you would ever contact me again, after the way you left the diner. I made you promise that you wouldn't scream… How did you know where I lived?"

"I hired a private investigator with some …. Special abilities and liking for spiders. It wasn't easy but I believe that it was worth it."

"You know that with my abilities and responsibilities that our lives will never be normal or by any means easy. My identity -"

"Don't you see Pat," interrupted his wife desperately. "Your identity is layered just like everyone else and I can understand your need for the 'hero identity' to shield you from the pain and suffering you may encounter. But all you really need is a family shield; Edward and I can protect you."

"You don't understand what it's like to have this responsibility. Look at what happened to my father when he got too close to my life. I cannot –."

"What happened to your father was unstoppable. It was fate. It was meant to happen. No one could have foreseen it," Gina began to break down into tears as she knew she was losing her husband. She placed a sympathetic hand on his face.

"All I'm asking is that you leave that monster behind stop the heroic acts before you end up next to your father. I know it'll be hard at first but me and Eddie can help you to readjust. After all, you're still my husband and you're still the one human being that I love the most."

He took her hand off of his face as the tears began to stream down.

"I am no longer a man, nor am I a symbiote. Those days are gone. Now, I am but one being, a true symbiosis of two separate bodies becoming one."

Patrick Mulligan stopped and for the first time ever the human and the alien spoke as one. Toxin continued:

"I have no more shells to hide behind, no more layers to shield me from pain and sorrow. I am Toxin. I have accepted this and I want nothing more. I have been blessed with this unorthodox symbiote child who has guided me to power above that of an average man, more than religion or personal gain ever could. Society may now frown upon me, but it is _my_ duty and _my _responsibility to use this power to help those who have none and to stop those who have the power but choose to misuse it. If this is what makes me a hero then so be it, I will always be a superhero, but this also means that I will forever face enmity in my life from those who disagree with my ideals. And I can't always be around to protect you and Edward when you may need it nor will I be able to support you both with money, time or even space. If one of my enemies was to learn that I had a wife and child – a family – it would place you both in tremendous danger. Therefore in order to save you both, in order to do the best thing I can, in order to love you both, my dearest wife and only son, I must leave you. All I ask, to make this sacrifice worth it, is that when Eddie asks what happened to his Daddy, you tell him that his father died a hero, protecting the things he cared most about, just like his grandfather did. Whether you tell him who I am or not is your decision, but I know that for eternity, he will accept me for who I am and I pray that one day, you will too."

Toxin took off his wedding ring and placed it in the open hand of Gina.

"Here, keep this, sell it if you must. If you ever want to find me, I'm sure you'll find a way. Goodbye Gina."

Unable to withstand anymore, Gina took one last look at the face of her ex-husband Patrick Mulligan and ran out of his apartment, covering her face to hide her sorrows.

Together they stood in silence, the host and guest, not wanting to speak. Both knew that what they had said had partially been a lie: leaving them was the best method of protection but they were not becoming one. Both were separate beings and enjoyed it. They were not one being now, merely the best of friends without whom the other could not survive.

Toxin waited for a couple of minutes, to let the dust settle, before building up the courage to talk to his host. As compassionately as his symbiotic form would let him he said:

"Come on Pat, let me take you for a cup of coffee," the symbiote offered.

"No, not tonight Tox, not now," the host declined.

"You humans need fresh air, apparently it helps."

"I'm just gonna go lie down."

"It's over Pat, you need to move on."

"I'll be able to think clearly in the morning, I can fix this."

"It's over Pat, she's gone."

"She's not gone!" Tears accompanied his yells. "Edward..."

"She can't accept us."

"Gina will learn; I'll fix this!"

"Look deep inside Patrick! As much as you love that woman and your spawn, you love this new life more!"

"No…"

"I'm a symbiote, I don't understand all this but even I, the moral vacuum, can see how clear this is!"

"Eddie…"

"You will always be a part of his life! You know that; Gina knows that; Hell! Even the damned child knows it! Now, the best thing you can do is move on! Just move on… You're a hero now Pat, like Spider-Man said and even like Venom said. This responsibility is bigger than the both of us and the only chance we have to make a difference is if we stay together, stay alert and stop this foolishness."

As Pat tried to gather himself together, Toxin repeated his offer.

"Now, do you wanna go grab a cup of coffee?"

"Thank you Toxin, you will never know how much I appreciate your friendship."

"Yeah, well maybe someday I'll get a reward for my efforts. You humans always need looking after. I deserve a bloody medal."


	6. Chapter 6

**Toxin: The Devil Within**

A Tale of Two Zaps

The warrior sat alone, silently staring at the table in front of him. His jacket was tinted with dewdrops of the rainstorm he had narrowly escaped. Sitting possibly as one of the strongest beings ever, the evolution of humanity and the evolution of symbiotes was alone with no riches for his troubles.

The teenage waiter slumped his way to the table with a fake smile printed on his face, no different from the way his name was printed on the name tag: Taren. As he was addressed, Pat looked up at the bruised employee. He could vaguely see a yellow lightning bolt on the purple shirt he wore beneath his semi-transparent, white work shirt. 'Must be a modern sport logo of some kind,' the hybrid thought to himself.

"Welcome to the Nove Suite sir, what would you like to drink?" asked the practised question.

"A large coffee – extra strong please," answered the practised reply.

"Would you like anything to -?"

"That'll be all thanks," interrupted the broken hero as he returned to staring out the window. Once he had made sure the waiter had left, the human questioned the alien.

"There's one thing I've been thinking about for a while now Tox. How come you didn't try to take me over, you know, try to engulf my personality - control me even, like the Venom and Carnage symbiotes have done?"

The childish creature thought for a second. "I guess… I guess I never wanted to. I like being my own separate being, my own personality. I see no appeal in wanting to bond fully with your emotionally weak and dependable race. I like having someone to talk to. Would you prefer it if we truly became one in mind, body and spirit?"

"I thought you didn't believe in the spirit?"

"I don't, but your simple race seems to enjoy the possibility so I thought I would apply to the old religious side of you."

The human sat impressed. "Not bad Tox, you managed to make a persuasive argument with a fair justification. You are maturing quickly."

"It's hardly surprising that humans take the longest to mature out of all the species, all you do is whine and complain or mope around feeling sorry for yourself."

Pat instantly understood. "Thanks for the sympathy."

"No problem partner," replied the symbiote cheerfully.

Now sitting in a better mood, Mulligan graciously accepted the drink from the new waitress as she hurried back off to talk to the head-waiter. Just as he leant back and began to relax, Pat noticed a woman enter the diner wearing a large brown coat and a hat covering most of her face but not her lips, coated in purple lipstick. The shady figure walked confidently up to the counter and stood before the till girl, the overcoming atmosphere causing the teenager to stare silently. Pat's heart began to race quicker.

"Oh, that's not good."

Seconds later the coat was shrugged off revealing the seductive form of Scorpia. With her tail coiled and primed for attack, she tipped her brown hat up a little to reveal the manic smile on her face.

"You know the gig sweetheart, money in bag – no stupid actions. Oh, and don't frown, it'll wrinkle your pretty little face."

As she focused all of her attention on the suddenly pale till girl, Pat noticed the waiter who was beside her slip through an open door and into the back room.

Pat watched Scorpia closely, the last time they had had a run in and he was surprised by her sudden change of heart, mind and general personality. This had been festering in mind and after a quick look on the internet when Toxin was taking a break; he had gathered enough information to know that she was schizophrenic – psychotically schizophrenic. He knew this was a robbery but at the same time could not risk revealing his symbiote in such a public way. All he could do is sit tight and wait for the first opportunity; the situation was not in his hands, it was in Scorpia's. Anything could happen in the next half an hour.

Pat found himself edging to the end of seat, desperately trying to think of a way to settle this situation without revealing his identity to the entire diner and more importantly, to the schizophrenic scorpion he encountered a week ago. His mind racing, Toxin asked the inevitable question:

"Now?"

"No Tox, we can't reveal our identity like this. The diner is quiet; all the focus of the staff has been on us. We can't... you know... suit up."

"Then what are we supposed to do exactly?"

"I have to do this by myself."

"But without me, you have no powers?"

"I know."

"I'm not going to feel bad if you get your head kicked in."

"Thanks buddy."

However the first action was not taken by the pair, before they could even conceive a plan, within a split second a new hero had arrived on the scene. Rolling out from behind the counter was a flash of purple. As he stopped in the centre of the diner and looked straight up at the villainess, the purple and yellow costume flooded Pat's eyes.

"Oh, that's not good," he muttered under his breath.

The lightning bolt insignia on his chest pumped fiercely with his accelerated heart beat and the spiked mask cover his nervous face. Aiming his compact arm contraption at the criminal, Zapper uttered his warning.

"Stop now thief and no one has to get hurt."

Scorpia giggled girlishly to herself. "And I was worried that green and purple wouldn't go. What do you want, cutie?"

"I am here to uphold justice and to protect the innocent!"

"Hey, what do you know? This guy is more of a stereotype than you, Pat!" joked the symbiote.

"Shut up Toxin!" scolded his human host.

"Now I'm just gonna pretend you never said that." Scorpia turned back to the terrified till operator, rudely ignoring the trainee hero. "Money in the bag, Honey."

When the pale girl refused to move, Scorpia seductively put her gloved hand gently on the teenager's face and gently moved her fingers down to her neck. Sharply the criminal grasped the throat of the girl, pulling her urgently closer to her dressed up face.

"Money. In. The. Bag."

"That's enough!" Cried Zapper and he fired a warning shot at Scorpia. The blast was completely invisible, only distinguishable by the mild distortion it momentarily caused in the air. As a window near her head shattered to the floor, Scorpia let go of the distressed teen and turned her attention on the learner.

"What the hell was that?"

"The beam is a momentary compression of the particles in the air, utilising the constant momentum of the particles to perpetuate a kinetic force towards a precise target at a deadly velocity. I designed this myself whilst-"

"Interesting stuff sweetheart, now check out my toys."

Scorpia suddenly whipped her tail around at the hero. Falling back onto a readied arm, he ducked under the attack and pushed himself upwards returning to full height. Stepping forwards he fired another compression blast at his opponent, catching her heavily in the stomach and forcing her back into the glass windows, cracking them all.

"Big mistake!" Yelled Scorpia viciously, as she whipped her tail up at him again, only this time attacked vertically instead of horizontally. Cursing quietly, Zapper flew backwards from the hit, over a table and straight through the window beside it. The hero lay defeated on the cold concrete, surrounded by shards of glass.

As Scorpia angrily began to pace towards him, Pat jumped out of his seat and stood in her way. With an outstretched arm, he warned:

"I can't allow you to do this!"

"Oh it is a great night for originality," joked Toxin sarcastically.

Calming slightly, Scorpia sceptically observed the man in her way. "And what chance do you think you stand, Handsome?"

"You just try me," goaded the former officer, relishing in the old sensations of control.

"Oh, this is gonna be fun," remarked Toxin.

"Outta my way!" Scorpia swung her green tail at hero but he quickly dropped to the floor, ducking under it. As the villainess endeavoured to bring her tail down on him, Pat rolled to the side and darted at her. She attempted a low kick when the hero was within range but Mulligan leapt into the air. He tackled the purple haired criminal at great speed. Having hit the floor with a thud, Pat rolled back up to his feet. Looking up at her opponent with his raised fists, Scorpia clambered to her feet. She threw three punches of which Pat dodged them all; she threw a knee that Pat blocked; she threw a slap but Pat placed his elbow cleverly. Upon impact Scorpia winced at the new stinging pain in her hand. Angered now, Scorpia spun and hit Pat with a vicious back kick. He stumbled back into a table unable to treat the pain as Scorpia was already progressing towards him. Grabbing a plate off of the table, Pat used it to block another punch. Undeterred the villain continued to flail wildly. Pat, still retreating, picked up two cups from behind him and used them to shield his palms. After blocking another five punches with the cups they eventually shattered, splintering into the green gloved hands. Scorpia stepped back to observe the bloody mess of her hands. Looking up with burning resentment, Scorpia ran at him and leapt into the air. Pat had predicted this. As the villain unleashed a sharp kick aimed at his head, the hero ducked and released his own leg, catching her in mid-air accurately in the stomach. Scorpia crumbled to the floor, winded and reaping the fierce pain from her midsection. She crumpled to the floor defeated.

Pat could just about hear the sound of on-coming sirens; he knew Scorpia could them too. He looked down at her as she seemed so pathetic squirming on the floor clutching her stomach, occasionally releasing small gasps of pain. Eventually she looked up at him and Pat could not look away. Scorpia looked younger, much younger than before. She looked so frightened and in that fear she appeared to gain innocence. Her make-up now looked juvenile in its obscurity as tears began to build up in her purple eyes. Her previously modest build now looked frail and weakened. Scorpia fought back tears to raise her hand shakily and beg for his mercy.

Pat could not decide how to act; he was gripped by too many contrasting emotions.

"So what are we going to do?" questioned the symbiote.

"We have to leave her for the police to arrest her."

"Because that sure helped her last time."

"It's the law Toxin," Pat stated firmly.

"I forgot about you petty officers..."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"You still think you're a policeman, don't you? The lawmen that can only see in black and white: We are the good, she is the bad - despite whether she is sick or not. But remember this Pat; you're not a policeman anymore."

"No... I'm a hero now, but that doesn't mean I can set my own rules of justice based on my personal morals."

"No, but it does mean that you have to do the right thing. We are right Pat, listen to us..."

"But I really shouldn't..."

"You know what we want, listen to us..."

"You're right."

"Of course we are, listen to us..."

Pat bent over and picked her up in his arms whispering sweet words in her ear. Watching the police cars pull up in the car park, he carried her over to the shattered window and leap through into the night air. After they had disappeared, the terrified girl from behind the counter eventually emerged holding a small bag. She climbed out through the broken window cursing as the shards cut her hands and legs. She darted over to the body of Zapper and after wiping her bloody hands onto her dirt ridden shirt, dragged him just out of sight of the police. She carefully undressed him as he eventually began to resuscitate from his unconscious state. Removing a set of work clothes from the bag, she stuffed his costume, mask and gauntlets into the space. When she had fully dressed him again, she dragged him back to where he was previously laid. The waitress could see the policemen searching the cafe for clues as to the origin of the disturbance. Heavily out of breath but remarkably proud of herself, she yelled frantically at the policemen.

"Over here! Please help him!"


	7. Chapter 7

**Toxin: The Devil Within**

Epilogues Are For Wimps

Scorpia eventually regained consciousness. She could feel the pain rippling through her body and did not wish to open her eyes .The addition of the scorpion tail combined with her buxom chest forced her to lie on her side. She could feel cold, hard laminated flooring against her face. It was shockingly uncomfortable; enough to persuade her that it was time to get up. She carefully rose to her feet and stood up straight, her joints cracking thanks to the difficult sleeping arrangement. Her whole body was aching and she knew that her costume stunk. She checked herself over; cuts were still fresh and painful; swelling at its maximum. It was still night time as she realised how unaware of her surroundings she was. Scorpia checked out the room silently, her memory failing to recollect anything: it was just a regular living room.

"Good morning."

Scorpia spun around at the sudden noise of the brown haired man sitting behind her, leaning forwards in his armchair. She knew who he was; he was the man who had beaten her at the cafe. She instantly raised her tail behind her, ready for any form of assault.

"I don't appreciate being kidnapped."

"Last time I checked, it was _you _who begged me for help."

"Who are you?"

"Your life-safer. Now sit down and calm down."

Scorpia cautiously sat back down on the sofa, her protruding tail forcing her to sit on the edge of the cushion. As she sat down her face blushed and she looked down in embarrassment. She sat with her legs together and her hands tightly together, a sorrowful look on her face.

"Why did you help me?" she asked weakly.

"You were calling out for me; you genuinely needed me; I thought that I would be better for you than prison – take any of those reasons. I was told by a friend of mine about you, he said that you needed help – needed my help specifically."

"Thank you."

"You can have a shower here and you can borrow some of my clothes – I can't promise they'll fit your form exactly but right now it's the best thing you've got. Do you have somewhere to live?"

"Not exactly... I have a safe house deep in town, it's where I keep a spare pair of clothes and any food I have. The building was condemned a few months ago; it's being knocked down next week."

"Do you have someone to stay with?"

"No... It's just me and Scorpia."

"Scorpia?"

"I can't tell you about her... I'm not allowed..."

"Tell me."

"I can't-"

"You can and you will!"

"Scorpia lives in my head - my name is El - and together we share this body. I take care of the day to day stuff and in return Scorpia provides for us. But now we have no clothes, no food and very soon no home..."

"I shall allow you to stay here with me, on one condition: whilst you are living in my home, you... or Scorpia are not allowed to commit any acts of grand theft, arson or homicide, alright?"

"I – I –I don't know how to thank you."

"Simple, you will undergo training from... the friend of mine, a good guy named Toxin. You will become his apprentice and you will learn how to become a hero like him and you will help him fight for justice. Got it, Scorpia?"

The girl looked up, staring directly into his eyes and biting her lip provocatively, she answered. "Sounds like fun, I needed a change anyway. I kinda like the Toxin boy last time we met. Alright, I don't trust you yet but hell, you sure saved my ass and El thinks you're legit. Me and El are in, I thank you kindly."

"Good. You can have a shower now and get some proper rest, I'll get some clothes for you and we can go shopping tomorrow to get you whatever you ladies need."

She got to her feet and he did like so.

"I appreciate your kindness but there' one thing I have to know first."

"That is?"

"What's your name life-safer?"

"Patrick Mulligan."

"Scorpia and Elaine Colls, pleased to meet you." They shook hands and Scorpia turned to leave, pausing momentarily. "Oh and Pat, if I should catch you peeking at either me or El, I will gouge out your heart and I promise you I will enjoy it."

"Second door on the left," replied Pat, unaffected by her threat.

Pat had spent the entire day with Elaine, desperately trying to help her fit in but much to his dismay; the experience was more like looking after a child than moving in with a girlfriend. He had to tell her about why he had left the house for the evening and now the human host sat on a rooftop, hundreds of feet from the ground. He sought out the sunset alone, to drink coffee and converse with his symbiotic guest. His reward was a moment of peace which they could both enjoy as a break from the hectic mess that entwined them both. A man and his child.

"This coffee isn't very strong."

"Shut up. Stop complaining."

After a few seconds, Pat sighed.

"You're right Toxin; I hate this too. Out of all the stuff we share, having your taste buds is the worst, but I guess we really are one being now."

"Then you probably know about the robbery too."

"The stolen handbag on the street corner?"

"He's had ten seconds of running away time."

"Let's roll."

As the tightly bonded friendship descended from the rooftop together, the human let the alien coat his skin. The red and black tendrils lashed around his body as the white eyed mask engulfed his face. The transformation left a warm feeling in the human body, the sense of closure and sharing his very essence. It used to disgust him but after accepting that this was his life, Pat now enjoyed the switch. Few others could understand this, especially not his witch of an ex-wife. This is why he must find time to be alone – strive to be alone - until someone can contain the spirit of two beings becoming one. The likely candidate: the audacious girl. Together they wished with all their being: "Please let her be the one! Let her love the hybrid he had become, neither human nor symbiote!" Even the creature learning to love knew he wanted this with every inch of his black soul. Although they could not tell her yet, they had to maintain the lie that they are two separate beings. She could not know yet, it was far too early, once her training had gotten underway then she could know the truth. However, this was not the matter at hand.

As his suit finalised, the hybrid shot a black tendril from the back of his hand to the nearest rooftop, inches from the floor, he swung away to do his job. It took mere seconds to catch up with the criminal, as he ducked into an empty alleyway. The victim had given chase but the deserted streets made for an easy runway.

The red light of sunset bounced off the red skin of the hero, making it appear as though Toxin was glowing. As the thief stopped to catch his breath, the celestial being landed in front of him and wasted no time with quips. Toxin easily dispatched the crook by grabbing his throat and chucking the villain over his head. Hitting a wall and instantly knocked out, the crook fell heavily to the ground, the handbag lay beside him. Together they lifted one arm and shot a tendril, grabbing the bag and yanking it back into his open palm.

The hero turned around as the victim caught up and stopped to catch her breath. Taking the bag from the offering hand, she desperately panted:

"Thanks… sorry about this… I should be more careful."

"It is not your fault, don't blame yourself. Scum like him prey on the weak but hey, that's why I'm here."

As her panting slowly became more regular, she began rummaging around in her bag. A few seconds she pulled out her purse.

"Here", she said. "Take this as a reward, a small thank you."

Patrick looked at the woman. She had a big smile on her face which was framed by her shoulder length blonde hair. All the running had caused her beautiful fair skin to redden slightly, giving her a more in-depth complexion to contrast against the white cloak she wore.

Toxin lifted an arm but Pat immediately forced it down. In the most suave voice he could muster, he replied: "Your beautiful smile is the only reward I'll ever need."

The woman giggled and blushed, whilst Toxin ran out of the alleyway, jumped high into the air and swung away. She followed him out of the alley and watched her hero swing away, completely infatuated.

The hero landed calmly on the rooftop and waltzed across it joyfully, they enjoyed the fact they were alive and together. The sun had finally descended making way for the starry night sky and they marvelled at its elegance. As they leapt onto a lower rooftop and continued to cross, the symbiote had another question lingering in his mind, slightly less grave this time.

"Why didn't you take the reward Pat?"

"It would have been wrong Tox", Pat sighed.

"We didn't have to help her", Toxin pointed out.

"It's our duty to protect the innocent, that's why we have our purpose."

"I thought we only gained our purpose because you couldn't run away from Carnage fast enough?"

"Shut up!" Pat snapped. "That may be how, but not why."

"But we need to money!"

"We can deal with it; the other heroes do, without making people charge for their lives."

"A superhero saving tax, like insurance!"

Pat chuckled. "You're a symbiote Tox, you don't need money."

"Well as you know, I am the one thousandth symbiote and the most likely for a mental breakdown− maybe this is my breakdown."

"What, you're becoming more human than symbiote?"

"Yeah, and I like it a hell of a lot more than becoming like my father."

"I'll drink to that!"

"Do you want to head back to the apartment for coffee and perhaps a quick lesson?"

"A lesson in what?"

"I want to learn how to write."

"Once again? Why? You're a symbiote…still, I think? You don't need to write. Plus, I can just do it for you."

"I want to learn how to write!" Toxin demanded. Pat hesitated.

"Fine, I give in, I'll teach you how to write." Pat looked around. "It's a quiet night-"

"Thanks to us!"

"Yeah. Let's go home."

The symbiote and its host bounded across the rooftop with a warm feeling in its heart, and the firm friendship of the two lighting their way. But before they could reach their apartment, Toxin had a small request for his human friend.

"Hey Pat, do you mind if we stop for a sec?"

Swinging towards the nearest building, he let go of the tendril and the pair descended to a nearby bus stop. The human, in a proud and courteous mood, answered his partner.

"What's on your mind, buddy?"

Nervously, the symbiote spoke up. "Well, if Venom gave birth to Carnage and Carnage gave to me. Does that mean that we will have to give birth at some point?"

Pat sighed regretfully. "Yeah Tox, it does mean that."

"What will we do then?"

"The only thing we can do. Find a suitable host for the child."

"Can we not kill it?"

"No Tox," he replied, saddened. "We can't kill the child. We won't cross that line. Plus, the child will be twice as strong as us; we probably couldn't even kill it if we tried."

The symbiote thought quietly for a second. "Who would be the host?"

"Someone we choose - someone with the same morals as us, someone who will use the child to fight alongside us. Fight crime, fight for those who cannot fight. We will train them. Teach them how to use this power. Teach them how to keep control, better than we have. Teach them how to save lives and change the world."

The pair fell silent for a moment.

"I'm still worried Pat."

"I know Toxin, I am too."

Shooting a tendril to the rooftops, the hero pulled himself into the air.

"Giving birth huh? How painful can it be?"

But as they swung back home, Pat felt an odd sensation trickle through his humanity. He wanted to fight it, force it deep down and kill it – but alas, he could not. He could not lie to himself, he had to admit to it, feed it.

"Hey Tox, I don't really know if you've realised but last year when Carnage caused the big underground explosion which I was investigating, well I did some research and it was a year ago today."

"That's where I first bonded to you... So we've been together for a whole year today then?

"Yeah Tox, it's your birthday."

"Err... that's cool I guess."

The pair continued, silently, awkwardly.

"So, Pat, what does this mean?"

"I was – I was just wondering if – maybe – you would like to celebrate. You know, do something special?"

"Err... yeah, that would be nice."

"Cool."

More awkwardness followed.

"Pat?"

"Yeah?"

"Does this mean that I can have a cake?"

"Yeah Tox," Pat chuckled. "You can have a cake."

The tired hero approached his apartment door in his traditional human form, his sense flaring from the smell of another person, her perfume was strong. Pat was not used to living like this, his heightened senses had no experience of living in such close quarters with another human, her every scent, her every sound. He opened the front door to his home and was immediately bombarded with a new smell, the heavy tang of cleaning products. Fighting his way through the invisible torture of his powers, he eventually found the source of the original perfume. Pat discovered a small hand written card on his kitchen table placed in front of a large brown cake sealed with white icing. He picked up the perfume soaked card as the young symbiote burst with intrigue:

"What's it say, Pat?"

"Well, it says 'As a way of saying thank you for your hospitality (which is spelt wrong) I baked you this cake, I hope you will enjoy it'."

"Oh this is so sweet!"

Pat's spine tingled as he heard footsteps emerge behind him, he slowly turned around. Elaine stood before him, the purple make up of before washed away and replaced with simple dark lipstick; her black hair hanging naturally around her shoulders. She wore an elegant black cocktail dress stretching from her chest to her things, the only item he had seen before was the tight choker placed firmly around her neck.

"You look beautiful," Pat complimented.

"Thank you, just thought I should make a little bit of effort," she blushed.

"I'll go get changed."

"Why?" she queried.

"Yes Patrick, why? There is cake on the table – birthday cake," protested Toxin internally.

"Because we're going out to celebrate you moving in, it's only right to make it a special occasion," he answered to the both of them.

"Really?" Elaine peered up excited, but paused again in discomfort. "You don't think I look too slutty do you? I let Scorpia buy some things earlier when you were busy and she likes to go a little flamboyant."

Pat smiled the most honest and sincere smile he had had for a long time. "You look perfect. I'll only be a second."

He entered his bedroom and immediately began ransacking his room in a panic.

"Toxin, do I have anything nice to wear?"

"How should I know, Human? This is your domain."

"This is important, we have to look good."

"I don't see why we even have to go out; she made us a cake after all. Can we not just sit down and have some cake, why are we going out instead?"

"Trust me Tox, if we play our cards right, you're gonna like this a hell of a lot more than cake."

_That's all for now but unless Marvel remembers our favourite little symbiote exists then I guess I might have to write another story to satiate my Toxin hunger. Best Wishes, Havok._


End file.
